A Brother's Fear
by JustMikey
Summary: A turtle has to face his worst fear to save his brother's life. Can he do it? One-Shot, possible two-shot, depending on reviews. Rated for descriptive fears.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, everyone! So this is just a one-shot, inspired by...well, I'll tell you later. I haven't forgotten my other story, just working out some kinks in the chapter I'm working on, but in the meantime thought this would be a good thing to help distract me so I can refocus...if that makes sense to you. Eh, doesn't have to, but I'm trying to be nice and let you know. Haha.**

 **Anyway, the other story isn't forgotten, this is something I wrote for fun.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

 _A turtle has to face his worst fear to save his brother. Can he do it?_

"R-Raph…"

"H-hang on, Mike. I know. I know. I-it's gonna be okay." His voice is trembling in fear.

"You gotta get it, Raphie. It's going to kill me!" I'm scared too.

"I won't let it kill ya, bro." A sudden strength in determination, sinks again in fear and uncertainty. "I-I just don't know w-what to do."

"I d-don't know either. B-but I can't move, because if I do—"

"I-I know. Try ta keep calm, Mikey. I-If ya don't spook it, it shouldn't hurt ya. That's what Don always says."

"But he doesn't say what to do when one of them is actually on you!" I tried to keep calm, really I did, but we were flirting with death here. I don't even know how it got on me!

"It's okay," Raph speaks softly, trying to calm me. "Just wait there, hold still. It could move off ya if ya calm down enough."

"R-Raphie…" Tears are falling. I know it seems ridiculous to be this scared of such a small thing, but these guys are dangerous. We've always teased Raph on his fear of them, but we all knew the dangers. And one of the worst was on my arm, periodically making it's way closer to my face.

"Easy, Mikey. Easy. I know it's scary. But I'm not gonna let it hurt ya. We just can't spook it inta action either." He was watching it carefully. I knew it wasn't fair to him. He has to face his worst fear in order to help me. But Leo and Donnie are still at the Lair, and there's no one else. I can't move, or it could attack. He can't get too close, or the same thing. Any action either of us takes could kill me.

"Raph, I'm shaking so bad. My legs are wobbly. I-I think I need to sit down."

"Okay…okay. That's not a bad idea, Mike. But ya gotta move slowly and carefully. There's a ridge right next ta ya, right at the wall. Turn so yer back is at the wall and slowly sit down, okay?" I nod carefully and follow his directions. Suddenly, it moves, turning to face me directly, and I freeze. I'm in the chair position against the wall, legs screaming in pain, but I'm frozen in fear. All I can see is its eyes. Its creepy, angry eyes that seem to grow out of it's small head. I hold my breath, waiting for it to attack.

"Keep calm, Mikey," Raph sounds strained. He saw it move too. "It was jus' startled a bit from the movement. Try goin' a little slower."

"W-what if it attacks?" I whisper, too afraid to even whimper.

"If ya think it's gonna attack, stop movin', just like ya did. I'm thinkin' if yer sittin', it'll relax a bit more 'cuz you'll be relaxed more, and maybe even get offa ya on its own." I sink slower, watching the danger. Eventually, I feel the cold stone against my legs and shift so I am sitting a little more comfortably.

"Ani, I want it off," I cry. It's still watching me, and I can't look away. It looks angry, like it would bite me just to make me suffer. It hasn't moved since before, but I feel tension around me like a thick fog, and I knew it could feel it too. It was waiting. Waiting for the best moment to strike.

"I know, otouto."

"Please. It's n-not gonna leave. I-it's waiting to attack." I sense Raph looking around, desperate to help me. Suddenly, he moves away so I can't see him from the corner of my eye anymore.

"Ani? Ani, where did you go?" I sob, trying to keep my arm still. _It's still looking at me!_ Then, Raph is back, slowly moving closer to my slightly shaking form, murmuring softly in an attempt to sooth me.

"Still here, otouto. I didn't leave ya, I promise. I just had an idea, but ya gotta keep calm fer me, okay?" His voice is much softer now than it ever was. I know he's doing his best and it makes me feel calmer. No matter what, my brothers never fail me. They always protect me.

"Okay, Mike. I'm gonna try my idea now, okay? I got this paper, an' I'm gonna try ta slide it under it so it can't bite ya. So I need ya ta keep real still fer me, okay?"

"O-okay, ani." His voice was shaking. He's afraid. I manage to tear my eyes from the intense gaze on my arm and pinned my brother with my own. "I trust you, ani. It's gonna be okay." He looks surprised but manages to nod and give me an uncertain but determined smile.

Slowly, he inches the slightly-yellowed paper towards the back of the menace. I knew it was a risk. He knew it was a risk. It could take the sudden movement behind it as a reason to bite or move closer to my face. But more likely, it could see it as a new threat and turn to face it. When the paper barely touched it's backside, it jerked around to face it's new threat. Finally free from its gaze, I felt relief that I could no longer see its eyes but was still frozen in fear.

Raph had paused when it moved, but slowly inched the paper closer again, trying to force the thin shield between it and my skin. It twitched but did not otherwise move. He pushed forward a little farther, pushing slightly harder. A couple legs were on the paper. He hesitated, unsure if pushing more would push it away or make it go on completely. Or maybe this was enough for what he needed? No. It's mandibles were still able to bite me. We all knew how fast they could be, especially this one.

We had first noticed it on my shell and when we tried to brush/smack it off it had run to my side and up my arm. Then I saw it for real, not just Raph's girly scream, and I froze. Despite growing up in the sewers, we knew the dangers on land. We had to, because of the dangers we chose to face, we had to know all kinds of threats. This one was a threat in numerous ways. Recognizable by the red hourglass on its back, I knew we were in dangerous waters. We were lucky it hadn't already bitten me.

"It's okay, bro," I whisper, watching sweat tack down the side of his head. I was calmer now than I had been since we first found the black widow. But I knew he was still panicking. He was literally facing his worst fear while trying to save me.

"It's okay. I trust you. You're my strong, brave big brother. My ani. You can do this." He looks at me gratefully and makes his decision. He pushes the paper once more, angling down, forcing the spider onto the paper. When it was on it fully, it started to run towards Raph, eager to face this new threat. Raph froze as he glanced into its eyes. He was afraid. I could see his mind go blank in shock. But I was already moving.

Grabbing his wrist with one hand and the corner of the paper with the other, I ripped our saving grace away from my brother and let go. I had pulled my brother away from the paper as I did so, and we looked around carefully. Spiders were dexterous creatures. We both knew it could be on one of us again. I could feel Raph trembling behind me. In truth, I was trembling as well. But we both breathed a collective sigh of relief as we noticed eight legs crawl from under the paper a few feet away from us and run with surprising speed to the wall this all began at.

"So," I breathe after a couple moments. "Are you ready to go home, Ani?" I felt him shudder. Neither of us could look away from where we had last seen the bright red disappear.

"Never been so ready fer it in my life," he eventually gasped out. His voice was heavy, exhausted. I understood. I was tired myself. We slowly walked out of the tunnel, heading for home.

"Hey Mikey?" he asked about a half hour later. We still had about ten minutes before we hit the Lair.

"Yeah, bro?" He took a deep breath, as if bracing himself.

"Thank you."

"…huh? What for?"

"What ya said back there, when I was panickin' with tha paper an' ya noticed an' ya said what ya said." He stopped and looked me straight in the eyes. He was scared, of course, but he was also incredibly relieved and looked at me with a level of pride and respect I wasn't used to receiving.

"When ya said ya trusted me. That I'd be okay, that _you'd_ be okay because ya trusted I could do it. That…that really meant a lot to me, otouto. Thank you." I felt a grateful and gentle smile lift my features, much softer than the ones I usually put on.

"No, ani. Thank _you_ for saving my life. You might not feel like it, but you were really collected back there. I would have lost it and probably been bitten if it weren't for you. And you know we were too far away for me to have received help before it killed me. You kept me sane because you kept calm."

"I didn't _feel_ calm," he admitted. "I felt like I was gonna have a heart attack. Every time I looked at it I wanted ta run away. And then it _looked_ at me an' I wanted to die. I felt my breath stop and my whole boy froze."

"I know." I put my hand on his shoulder, letting my strength and confidence flow into him. "I know, ani. But you worked through it. You fought your fear. For me. To save my life. And that—and you gotta listen here because this is important—that speaks volumes about the courage and strength you hold inside you."

"Really?" His eyes still held that fear, but I could see it falling away to the hope growing within. We all knew he hated his fear of things that were often smaller than his pinky. But today he really proved to me he could fight through it. We had all known, but he continues to show us how much he can with every instance we come across them. Whether mutated or naturally deadly.

"Really. If you're fear for them is worse than how I felt earlier, and we both know it is, you have the most courage and bravery out of all of us." I wink at him. "Sometimes, it's good to have a little fear."

"It don't _feel_ good," he grumbled as we continued on our way.

"No," I laugh. "Of course it doesn't. But it gives us something to overcome. It isn't always a good thing to be fearless." At that, he started to slow down again, and I paused to see what was wrong.

"Not good ta be Fearless, huh?" I grinned as I sensed what route his mind was taking and waited. "Hey, Mikey…"

"Yeah?"

"How could we turn this on Leo?" I cackled as he finally said what I knew he was thinking.

"Well, I've got a few ideas," I chortle. "One of which requires paper maché." Smirks adorned their faces as they considered the possibilities.

* * *

 **What did you think? Please give me some feedback. Anything you would change? Anything you would add? Likes/Dislikes. The norm.**

 **So, this story was inspired by my own personal fear. Normally, I'm pretty okay with spiders. Freeze a little, avoid them, but it doesn't disrupt too much. Well, one day, I was in the bathroom, and this spider just appeared out of nowhere. I was fine at first, but when I moved to get out, it just turned and _looked_ at me. Like right at me. I was stuck. I could barely breathe. I don't even remember why or how it left me alone, but all I could see was it's eyes. They creeped me out. And after I calmed down, I turned to my favorite characters to find some comfort, and thought led to thought, and thus this story was born. Ta-da! I can always count on the turtles to calm my fears. This time, it was Mikey with words of wisdom (probably because of my focus on my other story), but all four of them help.**

 **Anyway, there's that ramble. I hope you liked the story!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! So, I got an idea to continue this, and someone asked for it (I'm sure a few more were hoping for it, too. Who doesn't love this stuff?), so here I am, posting it! Mwahahahahaha! I had to get some input from my siblings to help me out here, since I'm not very "prank-minded", so be sure to let me know how we did!**

 **Please enjoy!**

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 _"How could we turn this on Leo?" I cackled as he finally said what I knew he was thinking._

 _"Well, I've got a few ideas," I chortle. "One of which requires paper mâché."_

 _..._

"Okay…that could take a while, though."

"Heh! All the good pranks do, bro! But another idea only requires some paint and maybe a few bandages…and some whipped cream!"

"Ha!" he laughs as he gets the picture I'm showing him. "Which one to choose?" he mutters.

"Why do we have to choose one? After all, we have _two_ other brothers," I say innocently as I pull the paints we'd require from my belt. "What? I never leave home without them!" He rolls his eyes.

"I could sneak in fer the whipped cream and bandages no prob," he snickers.

"I'll get to work here."

* * *

 _(3_ _rd_ _person)_

"Leo! Don! Help!"

"Raph! What is it? What happened to Mikey!?"

"He-he was bit! We don't know by what! He jus' started complainin' that something pricked him an' then he collapsed!"

"Bring him to my lab! On the table!"

"Ooooh…"

"Mikey, can you hear me?"

"Don, is he supposed to be foaming like that?"

"No!" Donnie was panicking. There was so much! Mikey's veins were turning purple, extending from the bite wound which was now red and seemed to be swelling. "I gotta get a blood sample to find out what's wrong, but I don't have time!"

"D-Donnie…"

"What is it, Mikey? Hang on, I'll get this fixed!"

"I-It's okay, Don. I know. It looks bad, right? I can take it." He whimpers, and his brothers' hearts melt.

"It's gonna be okay, Mikey. I can fix this." Don says semi-confidently.

"I-I know you can. But first, can you get me some water?"

"S-sure, Mike." He leaves and hands him water. But instead of drinking it like he expected, Mikey poured it on his infected arm.

"Mikey! What are you—" he paused as he noticed the discoloration fading, and the wound itself seemed to sag.

"What…?" He touched the wound, then narrowed his eyes at the texture. He glanced at Mikey, who seemed to have a slight glint in his eyes, before grabbing at the wound and tearing.

"Don!" Leo yelped. "What are you doing?" He grabbed his youngest brother's arm and examined it, but there was nothing wrong. There was no bite. There was still some slight discoloration a little farther up his arm, but it looked like it was dripping off. _What…?_

"I can't believe you!" Don suddenly exploded, and Leo jumped. Don was shaking around a green and purple fabric, angrily throwing it at Raph, who was chortling in the corner.

"Of all the stupid-headed, idiotic, reckless schemes!" Leo finally understood as he looked at the now discarded object on the floor. One side was green with purple lines and two red dots, but the other side was the same material they used as bandages. In other words…a prank. Leo felt the anger rise in him as well, but it was mostly overshadowed by the immense relief he felt at not having to face one of his brothers dying. However, he wasn't going to let _them_ know that.

"What were you thinking!?" His angry words only made the two howl and clutch their sides. Mikey laughed so hard he nearly fell off the gurney.

"We just wanted to let you in on the fun," he gasped out, tears streaming down his face in mirth.

"What the _shell_ makes you think that was _fun_!?" Leo yelled.

"Wasn' fun at the time, but totally worth it now," Raph smirks, laughter finally dying down.

" _What_ are you talking about?" Don grumbles as he tosses a rag in Mikey's face to clean up.

"Don't worry about it," Mikey grins as he wipes off the cream on his face and the paint on his arm. "We just had some time on our hands." Leo narrowed his eyes.

"Well, then I guess we'll just have to increase training, so you don't have so much… _time_."

"What!" Mikey yelped. "You can't do that!"

"What do you expect, Mikey? He doesn't want to risk us thinking up another _prank_ ," Raph scowled, then winked at Mikey, who grinned in response.

"I don't think that's possible," he snickered.

"We'll see."

* * *

"Come on, Leo, it's been five days! Let up a little!" Mikey was stuck in an awkward pose, meant to hone his focus and balance. He was slightly wobbly but managed to keep mostly upright.

"What's the matter, you don't have enough time to prank us?" Leo smirked.

"Forget pranks, we don't have time to eat or sleep!" Raph's position was just as precarious, posed on a bamboo pole ten feet above Mikey. Leo had arranged them in close proximity to each other. If Mikey lost his balance, he'd hit the pole. If Raph lost _his_ balance, he'd land on Mikey. Either way, they'd both suffer bruises. Leo chuckled.

"You have two more days, Mikey. Then you're off the hook." Mikey and Raph groaned.

"Still worth it," Raph grumbled after a beat. Mikey chuckled breathlessly in agreement. Leo rolled his eyes but watched them carefully. He didn't want them to actually get hurt. After several more minutes of dangerous swaying, he finally relented.

"Okay, you guys are done for today," he stabilized the bamboo pole so Raph could jump down without fear of injuring Michelangelo, who had collapsed dramatically the moment Leo started to speak. "But remember, back here tomorrow right after morning training."

"Ugh. This is torment!" Mikey cried out, still not moving from his position on the floor.

"Deal with it," Leo said, marching out. Raph and Mikey wait for a minute, catching their breath.

"It done yet?" Mikey chuckled.

"Just need him out of the way for twenty minutes and I can get it all set up."

"You got it," Raph snickered. Mikey grinned.

* * *

Leo sighed, stretching his arms as he made his way to his room. Today had been a good day. Usual training, extra training with Master Splinter, disciplinary training with Mikey and Raph, meditation and relaxation with his favorite book, and then Raph had asked if they could go on a training run topside. He had been much more adamant that it was topside, refusing to go down the tunnel he and Mikey had gone down just the other day, but Leo wasn't about to start a fight for no reason. He could ask him what the deal was later. Besides, they almost always used that tunnel. It was a straight shot to almost anywhere, the main street of the sewers, as Mikey liked to call it. Even better, the humans rarely used it, so they didn't have to worry about it.

Leo sighed again in contentment as he opened the door to his room and shut it behind him. Since his room was always clean, he rarely needed the lamp next to his bed, so he continued on to the bookshelf to put his book away and turned to go to bed. However, as he stepped closer, he sensed something nearby that should be there. Something _big_. And definitely _not_ one of his brothers.

"Who's there?" Leo demanded, reaching for his missing katanas. He had just finished polishing them and had left them on their drying stand for the night. He wanted to smack himself. He only does a deep polish and shine once a month, and now he was wishing he did it less. Holding back a growl, he steps quietly closer to the shadows that are slightly darker than the surrounding darkness, where the unknown presence resided. He inched slowly closer, nearing the intruder carefully. Suddenly, he sensed it lunge towards him, red eyes abruptly glaring at him. He reacted quickly, striking out with his fingers and jumping back to a safer distance, where he felt his elbow push against a string.

 _What…?_ Suddenly, thousands of small things cascaded down upon his head, poking his skin with harsh corners. He ducked low, throwing his hands up protectively as he tried to move out from underneath the onslaught. The larger presence lunged at him again, red eyes glowing, glowering down at him. Leo gave a hoarse shout as he tried, unsuccessfully, to ward off the offender, still being assaulted by the tiny, sharp objects. Before his fist made contact, however, the lights switched on and laughter sounded around him. Leo blinked, looking up from his position on the floor where he had stumbled, and saw Mikey behind a giant Papier Mache _monster_ of a spider.

"Gotcha, Fearless!" Raph was next to Mikey, chortling along with him. Leo glanced down, surprised to see thousands of smaller paper spiders surrounding him. Leo looked back up at his younger brothers, who were still laughing.

"You should have seen you, Leo!" Mikey chuckled. "You were so freaked out!"

"'Course, that was nothin' compared ta how _we_ felt, but this was _way_ funnier!" Leo stood up slowly, brushing spiders from his person.

" _So_ glad I could entertain you," he said coolly, and they stopped laughing, looking at him in fear. "Now, it's my turn." Mikey and Raph's eyes widened in horror before they both bolted. However, they couldn't get past Leo, who was between them and the door. He soon had each brother under an arm and started dragging them out of his room.

"No! Leo! I'm sorry! It was all Raphie's idea!"

"Don't lie! Yer tha one who came up wit' the plan!"

" _You're_ the one who wanted to do it!" Leo covered both their mouths with his hands.

"I blame both of you." Mikey and Raph looked at each other in horror as their pointless struggle continued to the dojo. They knew they weren't getting out of this one.

* * *

" _So_ ," Leo said a few hours later, watching his brothers in amusement. "Still think this was worth it?"

"Come on, Leo! It was just a prank!" Mikey was tied to a chair, arms and legs bound securely, while he balanced a candle on his forehead in a small stand. The stand would catch all the hot melting wax as long as Mikey kept completely still in his awkward position. He strained to keep still; the bowl was already half-full, and Mikey had already suffered from a couple lapses in concentration, causing the hot substance to land on his shell.

"It's no use, Mike. He's got that lead pipe too far up his shell," Raph grumbled, hanging upside down from the ceiling. He was tied from shoulders to toes with several pieces of rope tied together, rotating slightly as he struggled to untie the knots with his hands wrapped in bags and duct-taped. Leo smiled.

"What are you talking about? This is quality entertainment!" Donnie chuckled as he strolled in, a bowl of still-popping popcorn balanced in one hand while two sodas were in the other. He claimed a place beside his blue-banded brother.

"Traitor," Raph growled, struggling with his disadvantage.

"Don's gone, Raphie. Gone to the dark side! We're all alone!"

"What do _you_ say, Don? Was this worth it?" Donnie chuckled.

"Completely."

An old rat sighed in a closed room, ears twitching from the groans and chuckles he heard just outside his door. A fond smile adorned his features as he heard his sons grumble and taunt each other. He would never tell, but he always loved it when he overheard or observed their pranks to each other. It was good brotherly bonding, one that he was glad they shared. Besides, they were good practice for their ninja skills.

* * *

 **Hehehe! So, what did you think?**


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